Legend of Zelda: A Brother by the Name of Link
by Running Ninja
Summary: Post Twilight Princess. Eight years before the Twilight, Rusl found a nine year old boy strapped to a Bulbo up in the mountains. When the boy woke up back in Ordon, he remembered nothing but his name, Link. Rated T for alcohol.
1. Intro: Waking Up Alone

I do not own Legend of Zelda.

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><p><strong>Intro: Waking Up Alone<strong>

Through the blur of grey and the thick of a headache, the world focused itself into a bedroom. Link's skull throbbed painfully. He heard voices talking outside of his room and as he looked and saw a glass of water beside the bed he was lying on. Gingerly, he picked up the glass and drank slowly until all of the cool water was gone. How he missed it. He wondered where he was. Putting the glass back on the table, he laid his head back against the pillow and felt himself breathe. He wished his headache would go away. It was so much harder to remember anything while it panged against his skull.

A shy nine-year-old girl peeked around the doorway at Link's strange form warping the grey linen sheets. A child, just like her, lying flat and half dead looking: staring at the ceiling. Alone. How very strange he looked.

After a moment she saw him slide his head and spot her at the bottom of his gaze. She went over to him, bold now that she'd been caught watching, and abruptly asked, "What's your name?"

"Link."

"What happened to you?" she asked curiously.

Link gave her a confused look. As he tried to remember, his head hurt again. He winced and raised a shaking hand. What had happened to him? Where was he and why was he there?

The girl rushed out of the room and fetched a cool cloth. As she rushed back into the room with it Bo noticed her, calling out, "Ilia, what are you doing?" but she didn't answer and went back to Link's side and laid the cool cloth on his head.

"Thank you," Link said, and Ilia smiled a little, still watching him with wonder, her gaze wandering to the lines of purply black fading to green lacing his neck.

"What happened to your neck?" she asked innocently as Bo and the others outside entered the room.

"I don't know," Link said as his eyes followed the many people, his confusion mounting.

"How are you feeling?" A shorthaired blonde with a full moon belly asked. Link stared at her, confused, and then whispered, "I'm good, thank you."

"His head hurts," Ilia piped up, and as Link's eyes widened in fright. He didn't want these people worrying about him, in fact the idea scared him. Uli chuckled.

"You know son," said a gruff looking man as he wrapped his arm around the heavily pregnant Uli. "You don't need to worry about burdening us, we're happy to help you. My name is Rusl, and this is my wife Uli. That over there is Mayor Bo and his daughter Ilia."

"Thank you for taking care of me. I am most honored," Link said hesitantly, glancing around at everyone present. He wished he could be standing to greet these people.

"You went through some pretty tough stuff, didn't you, son?" Bo chuckled, placing his arm around Ilia. "Your manners certainly don't show it. You're the most proper nine year old I've ever met. Are you related to royalty? You do have the Hylian pointed ears."

"I don't know…" said Link quietly as he scanned the bedsheets for answers. Some sort of sad, deep feeling was nesting inside him. "I…I don't remember." He gulped and felt the bruises on his neck as they moved.

Bo's face fell as he realized what the boy meant. Rusl stepped in. "Okay everybody, I think it'd be a good idea to let the boy rest. We mustn't crowd him. He's been through a lot today." And with that he herded everybody but Ilia and Uli out of the room.

"Do you need anything?" Uli said softly as Link watched the people leaving with wide eyes.

"Uh, no," he said, his brain jerking back into focus. "Thank you so much for taking care of me. How is your baby?" he asked politely.

"Oh," Uli chuckled again, "he's fat as ever! But don't worry about me. You must have been through an awful lot."

"What happened to your neck?" Ilia repeated. Link raised his hand to his neck with a wondrous expression, worry knotting his already befuddled brain.

"Now Ilia, don't be rude. He doesn't remember." And with that she crossed the room to the door and Ilia followed her. "I'll bring you some soup later, if your hungry. What's your name?"

"Link," he said, worrying his hands around the sheets.

"Link. Such a nice name." Uli smiled again, her teeth showing a hint of tiredness. "If you weren't here, I'd maybe name my baby that if he's a boy. But anyway, in the mean time, sleep well Link."

And Uli closed the door. Link looked around the room and wondered where he was. He felt like he was missing somebody, somebody who'd always been with him before. He rolled over in the bed and closed his eyes. Sleep didn't come, and neither did the memories. But he felt his body wracked with cuts and bruises and all kinds of soft spots, and gingerly struggled to find a place were they were all at ease.

Outside in the kitchen, Uli's face fell to worry as Ilia watched her carefully. "Poor little boy. He doesn't remember anything."

"Maybe its better that way," Ilia said, sitting on a stool by the table. "His neck looked pretty bad. Who'd want to strangle a kid our age?"

"Or tie him to a Bulbo," Uli said to herself, stirring the pot of soup.

"Yeah," Ilia finished, helping herself to some bread with meat and cheese.

"It's a good thing I found him," Rusl remarked from the other side of the room. "He was in pretty bad shape. Bruised and cut up by the cords that tied him to that Bulbo. He must have been tied to that thing for a long while."

"Are we going to try and find his parents?" Ilia asked, swinging her legs on the stool.

"Maybe," Rusl said. "But maybe it'd be better if he decided for himself."

Ilia pondered at this as she sunk her teeth into her sandwich. She thought of the boy in the other room, the boy named Link. She lifted a little prayer to the Goddesses that he'd feel better soon.

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><p>Hey guys! This is my first story, so please review. I'd love any critiques on my writing style, they are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance!<p> 


	2. Fire and Rain

****I do not own Legend of Zelda.

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><p><strong>Chapter One: Fire and Rain<strong>

"I'd love to help you Link, but unless you can remember any names, I don't know how we can find them."

Zelda sighed and let her hands fall to her sides. Link bit his lip and tapped his fingers on the woodgrain of the library table. He didn't remember their names. And Zelda knew that. But Zelda also wanted to repay him for helping save Hyrule. And Zelda knew what it meant to want to see one's parents.

"Fire," said Ilia suddenly.

"Fire?" asked Zelda skpetically.

"Yes. Fire."

Zelda's eyebrows were warping her face into a humorous shape. "What about fire?"

"Fire has something to do with it."

"How would you know?"

"He had nightmares about fire after we found him. And about falling, and monsters."

They were talking about Link as if he wasn't there again. It made Link wonder if he took the "strong and silent type" a little to far. But then again, he didn't much feel like talking right now. He didn't feel much like talking in general lately. His gaze drifted to the rain-spattered window. If he could just remember….

"So how does that help us find them?" Zelda asked.

"I don't know, how many houses have burned down in Castle Town recently?" Ilia tried to be helpful.

"How does a burnt house get you strapped to a Bulbo?"

"I don't know Zelda, but it's all we have to go off of!"

Link stood, his chair protesting against the stones. He strode out of the library, pulling his hat out of his pocket as he went, replacing it on its head. Out of honor he didn't wear it in Zelda's presence now that Hyrule was peaceful again.

Ilia and Zelda looked at each other, each trying to blame the other. In the end they both just stormed out into the hall after him.

"Link!" Zelda called just before he turned a corner, racing after him, Ilia short behind.

He turned and saw Zelda, and reached up to take his hat off.

"For Din's sake Link, you can keep the hat on!" she huffed at him. He lowered his hand. "We want to help you. We really do." She added genuinely.

Link nodded his thanks and continued down the hall. The sound and chill of rain poured into the chilly walls as Ilia and Zelda were left there. The door thudded shut again.

"What is wrong with him?" asked Zelda exasperatedly, the words ringing against the cold stone with a melancholy note.

"He's sad," Ilia said simply.

Zelda sighed, crossing her arms over her sides, giving in to the inevitable. "You're right."

"He feels like he doesn't know who he is. He can't remember nine years of his childhood," Ilia said, almost to herself.

"He's the Hero of Hyrule. The Hero Chosen By the Gods."

Ilia sighed. "If only it were that simple."

"Yeah," Zelda agreed. "If only we could find his family. Then maybe he'd stop being so down all the time."

Rain rang out against the pavement outside, audible through the doors. "I mean, he's a great Hero and all," Zelda elaborated, "But I mean….he takes off to himself so much lately. I'll find him perched on a windowsill at one of the high towers, just staring down. It scares me. And when I find him, he doesn't say anything."

"When we were younger, he used to climb trees," Ilia added, shifting her stance. "Once he went missing for six hours before I found him sitting high up in an old Deku tree. But that was once. And he never stormed out like this."

"It's obviously on his mind," Zelda added. "We have to help him."


	3. Closed Doors and Closed Minds

I do not own Legend of Zelda. Apologies in advance for all the scene shifting, I need to find a better way than lines to convey it.

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><p><strong>Chapter Two: Closed Doors and Closed Minds<strong>

Ilia knocked. From the inside an old man eyed her warily and then snapped, "What?"

"Excuse me sir, but do you know any houses that have burned down here in the last seventeen years?"

"No. Why in the kingdom would I know that?"

"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean to bother you. I'm just looking for someone."

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><p>"Before Ganondorf were there any Bulbin incidents?"<p>

"What do you mean your highness? I beg your pardon" the soldier apologized to Zelda.

"Before the twilight took over, at least eight years ago, were there any Bulbin incidents that you know of?"

"Ahh…I'm afraid I wouldn't know your highness. I only started serving a few years ago."

"Excuse madam, but do you know if there's been any house fire in Castle town in the last seventeen years?"

"Seventeen years?"

"Yes, seventeen years."

"No, I'm sorry."

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><p>"Do you know of any Bulbin incidents that happened before the war?"<p>

"Hmmm….Bulbin? Well….I'm not…I'm afraid your highness that I don't remember anything. Maybe you'd do better asking one of the senior officers."

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><p>"I'm terribly sorry sir," Ilia felt like she was shouting against the rain, "But I heard your house burned down twelve years ago."<p>

"Yes?"

"Did anybody die in that fire?"

"Nope, we all made it out by the skin of our teeth."

"Oh, you're very lucky. I'm sorry for being so intrusive, but did you have a son or a young boy who lived with you?"

"How old?"

"Anywhere from newborn to ten."

"No, my son was fifteen at the time."

"Okay, thank you so much!"

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><p>"Hmmm…Bulbin incidents...now, I'm afraid not your Majesty. May I ask why?"<p>

"I'm trying to find out about Link's past for him. He was found at age nine strapped to a Bulbin."

"How odd….how very odd…there was a case of two Bulbin kidnapping a boy but they both fell to their deaths under the Bridge of Eldin. The boy was also thought to have died along with them."

"Was he strapped to the Bulbin?"

"I'm afraid I wouldn't know….the soldiers might though the ones who saw it all, if they're still alive. They might have been killed in the war."

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><p><em>Knock, knock.<em>

"Why good evening. How may I help you?" a twenty-some woman girl answered. Her wispy brown hair was swept into an effective bun.

"I'm terribly sorry, but do you know if there's been any hose fires in Castletown in the past seventeen years?" Ilia asked.

"Seventeen years? Oh…I'm afraid I've only lived here for round about eight years myself. There were a couple of fires though. May I ask why?"

"I'm looking for someone, and I think a house fire might be involved."

"Well, the fires were both pretty minor, the damage was kept to only a couple rooms."

"Did anybody die or go missing?" Ilia realized how fruitless her search was. Link hadn't died in a fire, so what was she looking for?

"Nope. Castle town's pretty good about fires."

"Alright, well thank you for your help, miss!"

"No problem. I'm glad to help. I hope you find who you're looking for. I know what it's like to miss someone."

"Thank you miss. I hope so too."

And the woman closed the door. Ilia pulled the hood of her cloak up against the darkening grey sky dousing splashes upon the cobblestone.

"Ilia."

Ilia jumped around at the steady voice, and wheeled to find Link, with no cloak against the rain, his floppy hat soaked but his stance set.

"Ilia, what are you doing?"

"T-trying to help you."

Link sighed, and Ilia could see his weariness, the way his shoulders shrugged. How tired he was, tired of not knowing, tired of trying not to show. But with a look at her he shrugged it off and straightened up again.

"Come on. Let's go to an inn. I don't feel like returning to the castle this late." He wrapped his arm around Ilia, and she felt its weight and comfort and wished she could help him. Then she wondered if he felt as foolish as she did in his full hero get up that he wore to see the princess, simply walking around the town in the rain. But she did have to admit, he looked much better in it. Not that he ever looked bad.

As they ducked under an eve and into the warmth of a bar, he took her by the shoulders. "Ilia, I don't want you to worry about this." The door swung closed behind them.

"I can tell it matters to you," she retorted.

"So? I had a great childhood with you and you know it."

Ilia looked into his eyes. She grappled with their blue depths. "That doesn't mean you don't want to know who you are," she said.

Link sighed and turned away briefly. She could see the longing etched in his face, silhouetted for a moment against the firelight. But then it was gone again. "That doesn't mean I should look for it," he said, almost to himself.

"Link, clearly this means a lot to you. And it's easy to tell that it upsets you. You'll clam up, you'll—"

"Ilia," he said.

She stared right back at him. "Don't tell me you don't care. Because you care so much it's all you think about. And when you think about it you don't talk. And that goes beyond the 'strong and silent' type."

"Ilia…" his head fell down, and she stared at the hat on the top of it. He took his hands off her shoulders. And just like that, with one last blue blazed look, he ended the conversation, and walked towards the bartender.

"Can we rent two rooms?" he asked, elbows on the counter, resting all of his weight against it. For "Chosen by the Gods" he sure played it casual. Ilia would have smiled, but something had sunk to the bottom of her chest, a note in a bottle she could not open.

"Two rooms, why yes. How long are you planning to stay?"

"Just one night."

"Alright," the bartender said as Link slid rupees across the counter. "Here's two free rooms, 14 and 15. They're just a level up, the fourth and fifth rooms." He tossed the keys across the counter.

"Thank you very much sir," Link said, taking the keys and turning.

"No, thank you! You only saved the world from Ganondorf."

Link flashed a faded smile and Ilia tried to curve the flat line of her face, offer a cordial smile to the bartender, and only just managed. As Link took her by the shoulder, she told him to go ahead up stairs and took her key. She then approached the bartender. Once Link's footsteps were above them, she asked, "Excuse me sir, but do you know of any houses that have burned down in Castletown in the last seventeen years?"

"Hmm, well, m'lady, there've been a couple. Why?"

"Were there any children orphaned from the fires? Children anywhere from infants to ten years old? I'm trying to help Link find his parents."

"Ahhh." the bartender gave her a long look. He glanced in the direction of the stairs. "I have a feeling he doesn't want you helping him."

Ilia stared the bartender down. It was something she'd learned worked very well on her father. The only people she hadn't known it to work against were Zelda, Link, and Uli. It was a great way to test what someone was made of.

The bartender returned her icy look. "I see. A woman on a mission. Well, in fact, I don't know of any fires in Castletown, but…come to think of missing persons… there were a couple of orphan boys running around here eight years ago who often helped me run errands. They looked like brothers. But I heard somewhere that they weren't, that they had just stuck together. And that they came out of the Lost Woods. As far as I know they were both orphans, and nobody knew their parents."

"Do you know what happened to them?"

"The older one, Mark, is a blacksmith now. The blacksmith's wife, Aria, took them in."

"What about the younger one?"

"He drowned eight years ago."

Ilia felt her heart drop for the boy she didn't know.

The bartender sighed. "Geez, its been a long time since then. I don't even remember his name." He gave a long and hard look at the stairs. Zelda waited for him to speak again. He didn't.

Ilia nodded yet again. "I'm terribly sorry sir. But thank you for the information," she said as she headed back up the stairs.

As she climbed up to the second floor she puzzled over it. Two orphan boys showing up out of the Lost Woods….that definitely sounded like the Hero of Time, she thought to herself as she climbed the last stair. As she turned she caught sight of a pair of eyes gleaming from atop a dark figure,

Her heart leapt to her throat. "Link! You scared me!" she said, her hand curled towards her chest in which was caged her fleeing pulse.

"Ilia." She wondered briefly how many times he could say her name. "I told you not to try and help."

"Link, I care about you," she sighed exasperatedly, her heart returning to normal. "Why are you refusing my help like this?"

He gave her a hard look, left her grappling with it, and then walked away.

Ilia watched his as his boots hit the floor as his sword and armor jangled with his step. When he reached his door, pulled out the key to unlock it.

What has happened to him? Ilia thought. What happened to the boy who could laugh so easily, who would poke and tease her about her love of horses, who she chased around Ordon when he stole her doll? The boy who had a way with Epona, who always knew what to do…bring flowers to her dying mother, teach the kids swordplay…

Hardened warrior. Those words flitted into her mind as Link turned to look at Ilia one last time.

Their eyes met. And Ilia wished he'd let her in.

The door closed. Ilia was left in the hall, too disheartened to do anything but go to her own room and puzzle over the enigma that Link had become, until sleep stole her thoughts away.

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><p>Yeah. Link doesn't know how to properly end a conversation, apparently.<p> 


	4. Broken Stirrups and Crooked Smiles

I do not own Legend of Zelda.

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><p><strong>Chapter Three: Broken Stirrups and Crooked Smiles<strong>

With help from the oldest guard and the castle's grapevine, Zelda had identified the soldiers that had covered the Bulbin kidnapping. Many of them were dead, and the last few had moved far away.

The oldest guard turned to look at her. "I'm terribly sorry your majesty. If you'd like me to send a convoy out to fetch the guards, I'm sure it can be arranged."

"No, that will be all. Thank you."

"The blood of the Hero of Hyrule is of good concern to the Royal Family. It is of our interest to assist you in discerning his heritage."

"Thank you, Ranur."

"We have many scrolls that trace the blood of the last Hero. Your father always sought his relatives in an attempt to express his gratitude."

"Yes, thank you Ranur. I remember quite well. But," Zelda strode over to a window, where the rain was still falling. It was slowly easing up. "That only caused trouble. The boy was kidnapped and lost to the Lost Woods. Eaten by Stalfos, or turned into one." She let an ominous silence settle between them, thick and foreboding.

"There's still his parents."

Zelda's attention caught. "His parents?"

"Yes, your Majesty, they were not kidnapped. Unless I am mistaken, they still live in Kakariko."

"What were their names?"

"Your highness, I'm afraid I do not know. But I would be glad to find them."

"Yes, if you do not mind, Ranur. It would be of my greatest interest to contact them." Maybe they wouldn't be Link's parents, but all the same by her father's standards she owed them a visit.

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><p>It was dawn. Link rose earlier than Ilia to fetch Epona from the castle stable. He planned to take her to the blacksmith to get some stirrups fixed. He also would have liked to het her shoes looked at, but he knew Ilia would kill him for taking her to a strange blacksmith.<p>

He usually did all his own black smithing in Ordon, but recently…recently things were different. He messed things up instead of repairing them. And that was why the stirrups were broken in the first place.

Epona nuzzled into him as he walked through the market. He let her lip his hand searching for treats, stroking her face with his free hand. She huffed at his face, blew his hair away. Link smiled and tousled her mane. She whinnied gleefully. Even when he felt most alone, Epona always managed to be there.

They were at the front of the blacksmith. Link led Epona around to the back where he could hear another horse, a soldier's mount come in for shoeing.

"There you go," said a lad with dark hair just few years older than Link, patting the back of the horse he'd just finished shoeing. He turned and spotted Link. "Oh! How very nice to meet you! I'm Mark," he said, offering his hand.

"Link," the Hero returned.

"Did you come in to get her shoed?" Mark asked, gesturing to Epona.

"No," Link said, "but I have some stirrups that need mending," he added as he pulled them off the saddle.

Mark inspected them, warily asking, "What did you do to these?"

"Uh, I tried to fix them." An embarrassed Link put his hands in his pockets.

Mark's face spilt wide. "You tried to fix them?" He fought back a laugh. Obviously he found it very amusing.

"Yeah I…I seem to have lost my touch."

"No kidding," Mark laughed, weighing the stirrups in his hand. "They're warped and unbalanced like…like you tried do get them this way, almost."

Link was silent, biting his lip.

"I'll have them ready in a few hours." Mark finished, turning towards the shop door. "Hey Link," he stopped, "could you do me a favor?"

"Sure," Link offered, "What is it?"

"The soldier who owns this horse is off at the inn waiting. His name is Samuel Bury. Do you think you could let him know I'm finished?"

"Definetly. I'll get right on it. How much for the stirrups?"

Mark flashed another cocky smile. "If you go tell that soldier, they'll be free."

"You really don't need to do that."

"And you really don't need to tell that soldier. And you really didn't need to save the kingdom. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't, or that I shouldn't fix these for free," Mark reasoned.

"Alright," Link gave up. "I'll tell the soldier."

With a short wave Mark disappeared into the shop and Link set off down the alley.

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><p>Ilia woke up. How late had she slept? She rubbed her eyes, climbed out of bed and got dressed, the mystery of Link staring her straight in the face as she swung her legs out from under the sheets. She figured she'd go see Zelda. The two had become friends since Link had saved the kingdom, and Zelda had vowed to help her discover Link's past.<p>

She woke up and headed up to the castle after handing in her key to the bartender. On the way there, she met with Zelda, who was coming down on horseback, cloaked and hooded. But Ilia had a way of recognizing hidden things, and the princess was no exception.

"Zelda!" she called, and the brunette pulled her horse up short.

"Shh! Don't blow my cover," she hissed, glancing around. There was nobody who would have heard.

"I beg your pardon," Ilia said sarcastically. "Sneaking off, are you?"

"I found a lead."

"A lead?" any of Ilia's previous judgments evaporated.

"Yes. In Kakariko." Her horse shifted, and after a moment she said, "Well if you want to come then get on!"

Ilia climbed aboard the grey and white appaloosa mare, and Zelda kicked it forward and they took a trail around castle town, which was thin and unused.

"Why all the mystery?" Ilia asked distractedly.

"I can't exactly ask Link to go with me," she said, and then after a long break continued, "I found out about a couple in Kakariko who had a son who was thought to be related to the last Hero. My father was interested in contacting them to thank them for what the Hero had done for Hyrule."

"Did he?"

"No," Zelda sighed, "On the way there, the boy was kidnapped. The band of thieves was attacked by monsters and none survived."

"Wow."

Zelda's horse, who Ilia remembered was named Merriac, stepped neatly across some stones over a creek. They were out of the castle boundaries now, and Zelda checked Merriac into a canter across Hyrule field. To avoid suspicion, she let her hood drop. Ilia noticed she was wearing normal clothes and her hair was plain and unwreathed.

"Where'd you get those?" Ilia asked.

"My maids are sworn to secrecy," Zelda answered simply.

Ilia laughed. "How very handy. And they know you're sneaking off?"

"Of course. If I'm not back in three days they are free to tell, but until then, I've been taken ill."

Ilia laughed again. "And that's why I like you. Maybe you're a princess, but you're not all haughty and thinking your above doing things like running off dressed as a peasant girl."

"Peasant is the most honorable position in Hyrule. Without you, I would not be princess. Without you, I would have no food, no guards, no title," Zelda answered simply.

"And no Link," Ilia hinted surreptitiously.

Zelda turned to look at Ilia, and gave a pleased grin. "I thought _you_ had your sights on him."

"Me? Zelda, he's the hero of Hyrule!"

"And you're his childhood sweetheart," Zelda's words took up a mocking melody.

"Don't be ridiculous. If it came between the two of us, you'd win hands down."

"I wouldn't be so sure Ilia. You're not the one that needs all the rescuing."

"He had to rescue me too! And you're a princess! I'm just a mayor's daughter who bugs him about his horse."

"Exactly. If he married me, he'd have to take on all sorts of duties and responsibilities, and help rule a kingdom. If he married you—" Ilia blushed furiously, "he'd get to stay in Ordon, happy and in peace and attending to the problems of the village that raised him, a complete outsider, as if he were family. And you'd take care of Epona."

Ilia's face was still red. "I never said anything about marrying anybody!"

"Ilia, he's not the kind of guy to court a girl and then leave her hanging. He'll get to know her and then, if she's right, marry her. Haven't you met him?"

Ilia sighed. As usual, Zelda was right. It wasn't that she didn't want to marry Link, it was…oh, nevermind, she thought bitterly to herself. She didn't know.

They were approaching Kakariko, and Ilia wished to bury her face somewhere where nobody could see how pink it was.

Fine. If she had too, she had enough freckles to fake being sunburned.

Maybe.

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><p>I'm not pairing Link with Ilia or Zelda, in case you're thinking that I might. He's just the kind of guy that a lot of girls have a crush on.<p> 


	5. Too Important to Get Drunk

I do not own Legend of Zelda.

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><p><strong>Chapter Four: Too Important to Get Drunk<strong>

"You know, I should really report you to Zelda," Link told the drunken guard bumbling along beside him. "Getting drunk on the job? That's something she'd definitely want to hear about." The soldier swayed dangerously and Link grabbed his collar and pulled him up. "At least try and act sober in uniform, can't you?"

"No," giggled the guard. "Why would I?"

"You look like a fool and you're dishonoring the name of the royal family. You disserve to be dismissed."

"Bahaha," the guard spluttered. "You should've joined me."

"I'm on duty."

"Sure…" the soldier slurred the word until it practically sounded square, "Sure you're on duty. Well, when ya get off duty?"

Link ignored the question as he hauled the drunk around the back of the blacksmith's shop. He released him and he clattered to the straw strewn floor like a bag of flour. Link went up to the shop door and knocked.

When a soot aproned Mark answered, Link stated simply, "He's drunk."

Mark nodded slowly. "I expected him to be."

Link gave Mark a stern look. "Does this happen often?"

"Oh, no," replied Mark. "Hardly ever. He's just a regular."

"You mean repeat offender?"

Mark laughed. "Yeah, you could think of it that way." He examined Link's expression, and then added, "I'm guessing that's a serious thing."

"Oh, well," Link leaned against the doorframe to examine his fingernails. "It only defiles the reputation of the guard and so therefore smears the name of the royal family and so Zelda, and you know, through that it only kind of disrespects the entire kingdom of Hyrule which I've only fought with my life to save…what most of the last year? And maybe a couple of previous lifetimes?" Link reeled off quickly in a sarcastic tone.

"Oh," Mark smiled. "I see what you mean. So it's no big deal?"

"Oh, definetly not. It doesn't piss me off or anything."

Mark watched Link's eyebrows arched in a fakely superior way and laughed. "You sound like you could use a beer yourself," he tossed, fetching the stirrups from the shop.

Link sighed heavily. "Could I ever. Getting drunk isn't an option though, not since I'm all—" he shook his sword and shield strap, "—important."

Mark laughed again, presenting the now even stirrups to Link. "Hey, so how about we go for a drink? Business has been slow today."

Link was taken aback and put on a serious face. "Only if you let me pay for my own cup."

Mark laughed again, tossing his head back. "Link, you kill me."

"Darn, I spent so much time trying to make sure everyone in Castletown survived."

Mark laughed again, and Link cracked a grin. "It'd be great to have a drink for once," he said. "Though I have to admit, I was never one for that before the war."

"Tell me about it," Mark empathized. "I've always felt like I've had my fair share of darkness in my life. But, I'm still lucky, y'know?"

"Yeah," Link intoned, his mind threatening to drift into memories, or lack thereof. He turned to the guard, who'd passed out on the floor, his horse nibbling his hair. He grinned.

"Can I leave Epona here?" he asked Mark.

"Of course. Just tie her up, though I get the feeling she's smart enough to know well enough not to wander on her own."

"Yeah," Link replied, taking her reins and looping them around a post a few times. "I'll be back soon, girl," he whispered before leaving her with a farewell pat.

He caught up to Mark easily. "So tell me Link," the other began, "Where did you get Epona, anyway? She's a fine horse."

"In Ordon. The rancher there raised her, and I helped train her along with Ilia, the mayor's daughter. But she always took to me best, so when she was old enough, she became my horse."

"Wow. You got lucky."

"Indeed. So how did you become a blacksmith?"

Mark laughed a little. "Now that is a long story."

"Then I guess we'll be having a drink for a long time," Link smiled as he opened the inn door.

Mark returned the smile. "Well, I was raised by my mother after my father died. She ran an inn just like this one. When I was too young to remember, we took in my cousin, who lost her parents. And then, a few years later, we took in our neighbor's son as well. We were a patchwork kind of family, with my cousin Lucia working all hours and my mother running the inn by herself. So the boy we took in and I became best friends. We were inseparable."

Link smiled ruefully.

"I'm telling you, we were. As a matter of fact, we got kidnapped when I was six and he was four. And the robbers took the both of us."

"Really?" Link asked.

"Yeah." Mark took a drink. "We wound up in the Lost Woods, and got raised by the Kokiri. If you call it being raised. More like running around doing what we wanted and getting into all sorts of trouble."

"You couldn't stay in Never Never land forever though, could you?" Link said.

"No, the Deku tree told us to beat it when I was ten. And on some lofty dream to see the princess, we wound up in Castletown. And the blacksmith's wife Aria took us in after a couple of days. When Link disappeared a year later—"

Link froze.

"Wait, your brother was named Link?"


	6. Breaking the Surface

I do not own Legend of Zelda.

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><p><strong>Chapter Five: Breaking the Surface<strong>

Zelda and Ilia entered the inn at Kakariko. "Excuse me," Zelda said, "but do you know of a Paige and Jacob Hyra?"

"Paige…and Jacob…why yes! The young couple lived next door, with their son Link. The house burned down…fifteen? Has it been that long? Fifteen years ago?"

Ilia slammed herself against the counter. "Did you say they had a son named Link?"

"Why, yes." The bartender, an old lady, said,giving Ilia a strange look, and continuing to talk to Zelda. "The old owner of this inn took him in when his parents died. But she passed away some time ago. After her, her niece Lucia took over. She's since moved to Castletown."

Link was giving Mark a weird look. Mark returned it equally. The only one capable of speech seemed to be the bartender, who said quietly, "Well I'll be darned."

"You're brother was named Link?"

"Yes…he was attacked by some Bulbins and drowned with them in the river of Eldin…."

* * *

><p>"It's him! It's him!" Ilia was beside herself with glee.<p>

"Ilia, don't jump to conclusions. That doesn't explain how he got strapped to a Bulbo. I'm terribly sorry, madam, but do you know what happened to the boy Link? Does he still live here?"

The bartender was staring at the overjoyed Ilia, unable to drag her eyes away from the cartoon-happy face. "He died. Was eaten by Stalphos, along with—Twain? I don't remember his name. The son of the inn owner. It was Link who was the sweetie."

"Zelda, it has to be him. I know it."

"Careful," hissed Zelda, whispering, "You'll blow my cover. Did you say he—was eaten by Stalphos?" Zelda continued.

"Why yes. They were kidnapped and lost in the Lost Woods."

"Thank you so very much," Zelda bowed her gratitude, and led Ilia out of the inn. "Ilia, it can't be him," she said. "He was eaten!"

Ilia ignored her and rushed up to an old man walking to his home. "Excuse me," she said, "but do you know of a Link?"

"Why yes, of course," the old man laughed. "I owe my life and livelihood to the boy. He led me out of the Lost Woods when I got lost in there once. I thought I was a Stalphos for sure." His face then fell, "I'm sorry, I though you were talking of the Kokiri boy, and his partner in crime, Mark. Of course there's always the Hero Chosen by the Gods, I owe him my life as well, naturally."

Ilia's face was frozen. Then she wheeled and near tackled Zelda. "He's alive! He's alive!" she screamed.

"Well of course he's alive, you dunce! Who do you think saved you? And me? And all of Hyrule?"

* * *

><p>Link was not alright. Walls closed in on his chest and in a heartbeat, he couldn't breathe, couldn't think. He gasped frighteningly and clutched at the world as he slid off his chair effortlessly, and hit the floor with the hollow sound of silence.<p>

Was it panic? Was he panicking? Link didn't feel as if he was in control of his own body. Something gripped him, a helpless fear so immense he was drowning. Drowning—being dragged through water and feeling it fill his lungs in place of air. Coughing, hacking, racked with the mechanism he was barely conscious enough to recognize. Carried past his will unto the bank. His eyes slid closed, as if in a nightmare.

Flung through the air and barely managing to cling to a spear shaft, Link was nine years old again. Fear compressed his chest as he tried to make his way to the end of the spear, where he knew lay a viscous monster but solid ground and a dream of rescue.

In a tumble he was four, bawling as a dark haired boy pulled him away from monsters tearing at what used to be a band of Hylians. What there were now, Link couldn't comprehend.

As the dark haired boy pulled him to his feet and rushed him away, deep brown bark was shaping into words and they had to leave. And again the dark haired boy took his hand, and Link saw his eyes, a ten year old leading his brother where he needed to go.

They were eight and ten, eating fresh baked bread as a dinner table while Mark was spouting tales of heroism in the shifting woods and Link ate gratefully, content with a good meal and a good friend.

Link saw teachers, shopkeepers, heard the running of footsteps as he was chased by a band of bullies, saw frightened lost soldiers and leading them out of dark woods, ever following Mark.

He was nine, trekking across Hyrule field to help a friend's elderly mother who lived alone. And he saw monsters riding great boars and he turned and ran. But they caught him and his helplessness suffocated him as he fought but they overtook him all the same, courage or no courage. Everything he had was not enough.

In a blinding flash he was wriggling out from the bonds that tied him like a dummy to a spear, seeing a band of guards trying to hold off the Bulbins who were threatening to drop him over the edge. The edge. It was so very far down, and down was the only place Link had to look. But he steeled his whirling gut against the dizzying depths and focused on freeing himself. They flung him. A Bulbin wrapped scaly hands around his neck and he couldn't breathe. He couldn't breathe he—he understood what death was, as the blood fought to reach his head and everything went dead. And again, he was drowning, hauled ashore strapped to a beast that didn't notice him. Everything was gauzy, whirling shades of nausea and pain. Time dragged on, edging toward the end of all things. Something, someone told him to stay, but he didn't know what was real anymore. But then he felt the bonds of death broken, and he fell into a river of flowing water, cool and clear and he saw a face, creased with worry and holding his head out of the water, his eyes focusing with the little effort his tiny body still possessed.

Rusl.

"Link? Link, you all right?"

Link realized vaguely that he hadn't fallen off of his chair.

He glanced down at himself, and checked to make sure he was all still there. He was. All of him.

"Link, you okay buddy?" It was the bartender speaking now.

* * *

><p>Zelda threw her hand up to catch her hood as it nearly slipped down in sight of the guards on the wall. "Damnit," Ilia cursed as she spotted the castle bridge raising at the first howls of nighttime. She kicked Merriac and leaned forward hard.<p>

"Ilia, what are you doing?" Zelda screamed as Merriac galloped full speed towards the bridge, which continued to rise.

"ILIA!"

With the yell, Ilia willed everything and Merriac jumped. She cleared the ground and her hooves hit wood, scattering as she whinnied in fright at the smooth slope getting steeper by every moment she found herself on it.

"Hey! No riding in the town! HEY!"

A guard called after them but Ilia pushed Merriac forward yet again as her hooves landed on the cobbles stones and they clattered away.

In a commotion Ilia pulled up Merriac at the front of the inn. Zelda leapt off and Ilia tied the reins to the hitching post, rushing in after Zelda.

* * *

><p>"You're my brother," Link said to a shocked Mark.<p>

"What?"

"I'm Link. I'm the Link that you led away from monsters and through the Lost Woods. The Link who chased you around castle town. The Link who disappeared."

There was a rushing of air and breath as the door swung open and Ilia and Zelda flew in.

"Link!" Ilia cried and rushed over to him. He barely managed to stand before she tackled him, throwing her arms around him. "Link," she said to his shirt, "Link, we figured it out."

"I know," he said, brushing her hair away as she looked up. "I remembered."

"You what?"

"Mark," Link said, turning to him, "after I was taken by the Bulbins they took me to Eldin, and tied me to one of their Bulbos. Both the riders drowned in the river but me and the Bulbo I was tied to survived. He carried me far up into the Ordon mountains, where I was found by an Ordonian looking for a flower for his expectant wife. When I woke up in Ordon I didn't remember anything."

Mark looked at him, at the girl buried into his chest, at a disheveled Princess Zelda standing nearby. He took a good look at Link before he found his words

"All—all this time?"

"Yep."

"All this time I've been learning how to be a blacksmith mourning my drowned brother while in reality I'm a displaced spirit and my brother, who's actually a Triforce Bearer and is not dead, is running around as a Wolf saving the world from an evil King of Twilight?"

Zelda lifted her hand as if to interject something but then decided not to.

Link broke into a smile, feeling something lift from his chest and vault upwards. "I guess so. Pretty crazy, isn't it?"

"Oh yeah," Mark nodded as Ilia detached herself from Link and stepped back.

With smiles wide enough to make them both feel old, Link and Mark hugged each other, lost brothers together at last.

Next to them, Zelda beamed and wrapped her arm around Ilia, who felt buoyancy rampant between the two Hylian brothers, long corked hopes breaking the surface.

* * *

><p>Hey guys! So I'm here with a Where's Waldo type challenge: where and when has Lucia previously appeared in the story? And I don't mean when another character has mentioned her, because she has shown up and said a couple things. Put your answer in a review and I'll let you know if you are correct. The first person with the answer gets my imaginary pet T rex. He's been wrecking the furniture.<p>

On the topic of reviewing, how well did this scene, and the rest of the story, go? As in, do you understand Link's past now, or did I do a bad job of explaining it? Please also let me know in a review. I baked lots lots of virtual holidays cookies for anybody who does!


	7. Epilogue: Resting in Peace

I do not own Legend of Zelda.

* * *

><p><strong>Epilogue: Resting in Peace<strong>

"Good to know you amounted to something, being the brother of the Hero Chosen by the Gods and all," Zelda said sarcastically.

"Oh yeah, Mayor of Ordon," Mark spread his arms out wide, gesturing to the village around him. "I like the sound of it."

Zelda laughed. "Link said you make a good mayor."

Mark drew in a breath through his teeth. "Still the boy who won't tell it to my face, isn't he?"

Laughing again, Zelda replied, "You married his best friend and you're his mayor. What did you expect?"

"Not much more. Some things have a way of not changing. Even through memory loss and the reign of Ganondorf."

"I'm guessing you and Link are one of those things?"

"I suppose so. Has he found a girl yet?"

"Found one? More like sorted through the mobs."

"That too. Anybody interesting?"

"Not that I've noticed. I think Link's happy the way he is. He's still young He has time before he settles down."

"Yeah, I suppose the world probably still holds a couple of adventures left for Link." Mark grinned sincerely.

"Yes, I think it does." Zelda turned to Mark again. "How about you and Ilia?"

"Oh we're doing fine. Great actually."

Zelda smiled a knowing smile. "Of course you are. When's the baby due?"

* * *

><p>In Faron Woods, Link paid his respects to Rusl's grave. He thanked him for a full and happy childhood, free of the fears and traumas that his previous one would have left him. He thanked Rusl for raising him as his own, even though they were not the same race, and promised he would take care of Colin. After all, what boy wouldn't love to have the Hero of Hyrule as a mentor?<p>

Link got up and returned to Epona at the Spring. As he got aboard her broad back, he thanked the world for all it had given him, courage in the face of fear, friends in the face of loneliness, and a father and a brother who were just as much his own as the father he didn't remember and the brother he never had.

In the end, Hyrule was at peace, and at last, Link sighed as he smelled the deep earth of the woods and their silence punctuated by the growing of trees and Epona's hooves, so was he.

Long live the Hero.

* * *

><p>So happy. Finishing this was the first time I have finished any story that wasn't a 7th grade humanities assignment. A huge thanks to anybody who stuck through the whole thing. As my gift to you, I give you this rant: the idea for this fanfic stemmed from <em>The Invention of Hugo Cabret<em>. I've always loved the book and when I saw the movie, I was captivated by the idea of a kid making a home for himself in the streets of Paris...and then I tied it into Link, as he is also an orphan. And that morphed into him having an older brother, and then I tied knots in Link's past to make it interesting. By now, the only thing you can recognize is that Link's house burned down, like the museum.

It thought about adding another chapter before the epilogue, where Link reunites with Lucia and Aria, but decided that would be mostly filler. If enough people review asking for it though, I'll be sure to put it in. Thanks again for reading!

Oh, and did anybody find Lucia?


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